The present application relates to armor, and more particularly to a lightweight armor panel system which integrates ballistic protection into load bearing structure.
Composite panels may incorporate honeycomb (HC) cores for the fabrication of aerospace structures due to their advantageous strength to weight ratio. Honeycomb core composite articles include upper and lower composite skins, i.e., fiber reinforced resin matrix laminates that are separated and stabilized by the HC core. Advanced sandwich core materials may replace or complement conventional HC cores to separate and stabilize composite skins.
The high strength and low weight of such sandwich construction results in lower overall aircraft system weight. Although high in strength and low in weight, composite panels provide little ballistic protection.
Conventional armor systems for aircraft are often a type of appliqué armor in which parasitic armor, such as steel or ceramic plates are placed over existing aircraft structure in critical areas so as to defeat small arms fire. Although effective, these parasitic solutions may result in added weight which may reduce mission capabilities.